South Africa: Athlete traverses 600 monkey bars under a 216-metre bridge

South African obstacle course racing world champion Thomas van Tonder completed a world-first crossing beneath the Bloukrans Bridge, navigating 600 suspended monkey bars along more than 280 metres of its towering arch. The athlete finished the Red Bull Bridge Bars challenge in 47 minutes and 37 seconds, suspended beneath the 216-metre-high bridge. Setting off at 10:21 with a heart rate of 150 beats per minute, he immediately faced the course's steepest section, a 45-degree ascent that forced him to pull himself upwards, bar by bar, while facing backwards. The gruelling ascent pushed Van Tonder's grip beyond its limits, while the descent demanded precise control as gravity pulled him between bars and the tape protecting his fingers wore away. Battling exhaustion, he focused on one bar at a time, completing all 600 without giving up. Thomas van Tonder described the crossing as “one of my biggest dreams and missions for the last two years” and said: “I have finished what I started.”